Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ office may have violated state laws with the purchase of a $19,000 lectern, according to a review conducted by a state auditing agency.
The report, released Monday by the Arkansas Legislative Audit, determined that there was “potential noncompliance with Arkansas Code regarding transactions and events related to the purchase of the podium and road case.”
The custom lectern was paid for in June 2023 using a state credit card. Sanders’ office has said that the card was used in an accounting error, and the Republican Party of Arkansas reimbursed the state for the purchase in September.
The transaction was brought to light last year after blogger Matt Campbell, who now reports for the Arkansas Times, filed Freedom of Information Act requests about the expenditure. He said the Arkansas GOP only reimbursed the state after his FOIA request was filed.
Among the potential violations the audit identified in relation to the lectern include payment for the items before delivery, claiming them as an operating expense even though that did not apply, shredding of the lading bill by a staffer in Sanders’ office, and altering the public record by including handwritten “to be reimbursed” notes on two of three invoices.
An invoice that included a breakdown of the bill listed the cost of the lectern at an exorbitant $11,575, as well as an otherwise unexplained $2,500 “consulting fee,” according to the audit. The case for the lectern and shipping costs for both items made up the rest of the $19,000.
The Arkansas Legislative Audit said it was “unable to determine the reasonableness” of the lectern’s cost or the consulting fee. Sanders refused to speak to the agency during its review, and several vendors did not respond to its attempts to confirm details about the transaction.
It’s unclear whether the audit will result in any consequences. Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin said last week that the governor’s office is not subject to certain state laws on government purchases.
The governor’s office did, however, criticize the audit, calling it a “waste of taxpayer resources and time” and “deeply flawed.”
Sanders herself appeared to make light of the scandal, posting a video on X featuring glamour shots of the lectern. The video ends with the phrase “Come and take it,” an apparent reference to a slightly arcane Second Amendment rallying cry.
